A former Astoria man is accused of causing life-threatening injuries to his
girlfriend’s 2-year-old son while staying at a Portland motel, officials said.

Officers on Tuesday rushed to the Unicorn Motel on Southeast 82nd Avenue
around 9:30 p.m. after Joshua Howard, 28, reported that the child was
unconscious in his room, said Sgt. Pete Simpson, a Portland Police Bureau
spokesman.

Once they arrived, police discovered suspicious injuries about the little
boy’s body, Simpson said. One officer performed CPR on the child until medical
personnel arrived and rushed him to a hospital.

Based on suspicious circumstances, detectives arrived on scene to conduct an
investigation, Simpson said. They eventually arrested Howard, who is 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, and booked him on
charges of first-degree assault.